This peach oolong refresher is so perfect for late summer! It’s a concentrate of sweet peach vanilla syrup, ruby oolong tea, and tangy Meyer lemon juice, plus a splash of sparkling water for added fizz. It’s addictive and perfect on a hot summer afternoon. 

The best thing about this concentrate is that it works best with bruised and mushy peaches. The overripe peaches cook down and caramelize into a sweet syrup that pairs so well with the oolong.

P.S. Oolong tea contains caffeine, so I’d recommend enjoying this earlier in the day.

Peach Oolong Refresher Ingredients 

  • Oolong tea: I love the ruby oolong tea from Rishi Tea (not sponsored, just love their tea). 
  • Meyer lemons 
  • Yellow peaches: Highly recommend using overripe peaches; they’ll caramelize better.
  • Honey or granulated cane sugar: Feel free to use honey or granulated cane sugar; both work great in the syrup. If you do use honey, I’d recommend using a light floral honey so it doesn’t overpower the other flavors in the syrup – wildflower, clover, etc. is what I go for.
  • Ground vanilla or vanilla bean paste
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Gerolsteiner or sparkling water

Method 

Halve the peaches, remove the pit, slice the peach wedges, and then chop into cubes. The smaller the cubes, the faster the peaches will caramelize and cook down.

Add the chopped peaches to a large pot, along with the honey, water, vanilla, and salt. Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let the peaches cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Once the peaches have softened (about 6 minutes), mash them with a potato masher or similar. Let the syrup continue to cook for another 5-6 minutes (keep the heat on medium-low). The goal here is to caramelize the peaches and concentrate the syrup. Strain over a pitcher using a fine mesh sieve (you’ll need to force the syrup through the sieve with a spatula) and set aside.

Brew the oolong tea in the hot water for 5 minutes, then strain into a bowl or pitcher – you should have around 2 cups of brewed tea. Pour the tea and lemon juice into the pitcher with the peach syrup and stir well. Taste and adjust for sweetness – add more honey or cane sugar if needed. Pour the concentrate into a large jar with a lid and refrigerate to cool. 

To serve, pour 2 parts peach oolong concentrate over ice, followed by 1 part sparkling water — a serving is 2/3 cup concentrate and 1/3 cup sparkling water. Gerolsteiner is my go-to for sparkling water.

Serving & Storing

  • To serve, pour 2 parts peach oolong concentrate over ice, followed by 1 part sparkling water or club soda — a serving is 2/3 cup concentrate and 1/3 cup sparkling water. Feel free to swap in flat water if you’re not a fan of sparkling water.
  • The concentrate keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week — make sure to store it in a sealable glass jar. 

Can’t wait for you to make this peach oolong refresher! If you do, please leave a starred rating and review, love hearing your feedback.

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Peach Oolong Refresher

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  • Author: Yasmeen Ali
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 5–6 servings 1x
  • Category: Drinks
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Description

This peach oolong refresher combines sweet peach syrup, oolong tea, and tangy Meyer lemon juice, plus a splash of sparkling water. It’s the perfect drink for a hot summer afternoon!

Ingredients

Scale

Peach Syrup

  • 425 g (15 oz) chopped yellow peaches (about 3 large peaches)
  • 90 g (1/2 cup) water
  • 170 g honey or 150 g granulated cane sugar
  • 1/4 tsp ground vanilla or vanilla paste
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Other Ingredients

  • 562 g (2 ½ cups) hot water at 190°F
  • 20 g loose-leaf ruby oolong tea
  • 128 g (1/2 cup or 4.6 oz) Meyer lemon juice (about 5 Meyer lemons)
  • Gerolsteiner, sparkling water, club soda, etc. 

Instructions

  1. Prep the peaches. Halve the peaches, remove the pit, slice the peach wedges, and then chop into cubes. The smaller the cubes, the faster the peaches will caramelize and cook down.
  2. Make the peach syrup. Add the chopped peaches to a large pot, along with the honey, water, vanilla, and salt. Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let the peaches cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Once the peaches have softened (about 6 minutes), mash them with a potato masher or similar. Let the syrup continue to cook for another 5-6 minutes (keep the heat on medium-low). The goal here is to caramelize the peaches and concentrate the syrup. Strain over a pitcher using a fine mesh sieve (you’ll need to force the syrup through the sieve with a spatula) and set aside.
  3. Brew the oolong and mix the concentrate. Brew the oolong tea in the hot water for 5 minutes, then strain into a bowl or pitcher – you should have around 2 cups of brewed tea. Pour the tea and lemon juice into the pitcher with the peach syrup and stir well. Taste and adjust for sweetness – add more honey or cane sugar if needed. Pour the concentrate into a large jar with a lid and refrigerate to cool. 
  4. Serve. To serve, pour 2 parts peach oolong concentrate over ice, followed by 1 part sparkling water — a serving is 2/3 cup concentrate and 1/3 cup sparkling water. Gerolsteiner is my go-to for sparkling water.

Notes

This concentrate yields 4 cups, which is about 5-6 servings.

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